This invention relates to instrument panels, and more particularly to conveying information to an operator, such as warnings or operational status, using a protective lens or mask which covers the gauges of the instrument panel.
Instrument panels in use today commonly convey a great variety of information to the operator via gauges, warning lights, and operational status lights. As appliqués and gauges become more colorful, small colored symbols become more difficult to notice. In some applications, particularly motor vehicles, a warning symbol may be relatively small and difficult to distinguish from other information on the instrument panel. This problem is exacerbated in the case of an operator who is color-blind. It would be useful to illuminate a larger area to alert the operator of driving parameters. It would also be useful to assign different colors to different zones of the instrument panel to allow the operator, including a color-blind driver, to differentiate between information that is urgent from information that information that is less serious.